Syd Herwig
and his Wooden Boat,Calypso
Syd Herwig’s old pipe sends a wisp
of smoke into the morning air. He tamps the Amphora to get a better
draw. An earlier field-repair with duct tape doesn’t help.
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Ferrari is my Favourite Colour
When you hear about a guy who’s got
two Ferraris, you want to tap him on the shoulder and say, “Uh,
Sir, I believe one of those Ferraris is mine,” because how
many people have one Ferrari, much less two. Read
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Travelling the Traveleze Way
Chris Bryant collects Melmac. If you recall
this unbreakable Canadian-made dinnerware, you are indubitably
a child of the fifties and will appreciate his efforts to restore
his 1957 Traveleze travel trailer to it’s nostalgic, but
oh-so-practical glory. Read
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1962 Amphicar
Ralph Nader overlooked the Amphicar when
he was on his rampage about the extraordinary failing of 1959
Cadillacs. With additional ground clearance designed to allow
for easy access to land and water, the rear fins on an Amphicar
would handily impale a five-foot tall person at about heart level.
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Eulogy for Russell Leafe
He was a quiet man in a way some large men can be, almost light
on his feet, careful as he squeezed himself into the seat of his
dragster; it was like fitting a bear’s foot into a glass
slipper.
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Stephanie Wellman, Pastel Artist
| Using
her father’s old Pentax and a spanking new digital camera,
Stephanie Wellman takes shots of landscapes, including the
cars that once crowded town and city streets, long since abandoned
and left to be reclaimed by Mother Earth. And then this time-consumed
mother of four transforms photos into pastel works of art,
with every nuance in place.
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Stan Johnson,
Man with a Red Panther
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Stan Johnson indicates a photograph on
the wall of the comfortable bungalow he shares with his wife
and three children, “That’s me and my Panther
setting out for a vintage motorcycle show in 1994 in the rain,”
he observes with a shudder, recalling the cold and damp. Nonetheless,
thousands of Red Panther owners the world over trust their
bikes in wet conditions. They are known for their superb handling
and, after all, being from England, most of them have run
more in the rain than the sun.
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Bonk on a Bike
| I case the parking lot in front of an upscale
west end restaurant. No sight of the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
that was being trucked in for the photo op with Radek Bonk.
But then why would they be an hour early. Radek and I were
booked for an interview over lunch with photo to follow. Ah,
there’s a brand-new Mercedes Kompressor, a sporty-casual
car for a young, man-about-town hockey player if ever there
were one. I pull in beside, hoping that some of the gloss
and glamour rubs off on my little runabout.Read
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Tim Dunn's Road Runner
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Think brawny muscle car. Now think
muscular taxi. Do the two fit? Not unless your taxi driver
is on his last fare or you’re late for your flight.
Yet, in at least two articles on Plymouth’s Road Runner,
one in March 2/00 in the Globe and Mail, the writers refer
to the RR as taxicab-like, calling attention to the car’s
inexpensive coutrements–vinyl bench seat, rubber floor
mats, no power steering, no power brakes.
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Celebrating Canada Day with Style
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Imagine this scenario. Soon-to-be retired
commercial pilot, Art Gillard, 69, calls retired pilot, Jim
Pengelly, 70, and says, ‘Hey Jim, how about flying to
Ottawa for Canada Day. We’ll take the Canso and be back
in time for supper. Bob’ll come with us as crew.’
By this time, 58-year-old Bob Patello, a private pilot in
his own right, has his flight coveralls by the door and is
making arrangements to get to Hamilton International Airport
for early Saturday morning to where the Canso is parked.
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Bob McLeod's
Citroen 2CV
The British called Citroën’s
Deux Chevaux “the tin snail,” while the Germans referred
to it disparagingly as “the duck.” Even the French
displayed a wry sense of humour, calling it “four wheels
under an umbrella,” drawing attention to the weight-saving
canvass roof that peels back like the top of a sardine tin.
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Forget Little Red Corvette, Go for Little Red
Truck
Blake Townsend is sitting at Tim Hortons
with a good view of the parking lot where his custom 1978 Toyota
Land Cruiser is the centre of attention. He ’s in his element,
washing down a doughnut with a cup of coffee and talking about his
passion--Land Cruisers. Read
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A Flying Falcon Might Help a Guy
Score
Bill McCracken who lives in the wilds of Ontario somewhere is not
a household name. However, thanks to Ford, his car, a 1964 Falcon,
might linger in your mind, especially if you spent any time a couple
years back watching Hockey Night in Canada.Read
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Ride Your Dreams
The roads. It's always about the roads.
Joan Armstrong found this out when she undertook a 20,000+ kilometre
trip to Alaska, leaving Ottawa in mid-June on her 1996 FLHTC Harley-Davidson.Read
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Trike of the Future
Keihachi Ishikawa poses this riddle:
What 150-pound vehicle consumes as much energy as a kitchen toaster
yet conveys a person effortlessly with the speed of an automobile?
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